so riding high on my very first styled shoot, I just kept the good times going. remember how I started a Pinterest board to get my creative juices flowing? well, I just couldn't decide on one vintage Hollywood look. we headed downtown to shoot some 60's chic Hollywood style.

since we were in Gilbert, Arizona, and not Hollywood, California, I used the sky as my backdrop.

and this tunnel offered an chic "urban" feel.

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this time I handled the wardrobe styling myself, sharing some of my favorite pieces with one of my favorite muses. thanks again Jadyn!

one of my new years goals is to be a better blogger. the last year has been so busy (in a good way) that blogging has fallen by the wayside. so, here's a post that's long overdue.

as a photographer, I suffer from a condition most artists have: over active idea brain. Pinterest has been heaven sent for me, because I can finally have some semblance of organization to my creative ideas.

this was my first attempt at a styled shoot, so here are some of the tips I implemented:

1) Plan out Your Dream Shoot - this styled shoot was originally an idea that tumbled around my brain, until it finally got a Pinterest board all it's own.

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1) Get Professional Hair and Make-up - at a recent Bridal fair, I met the friendly and uber-talented Annabelle. I gave her a call and told her my ideas and she was on board! as you can see, her skill matched my vision.

3) Get a Model - there are professional models out there who are dying for some portfolio building experience. I know several photographers who regularly use professional models for their styled shoots. I was lucky that sweet friend of mine was willing to participate in my artistic vision.

4) It's all in the Details - did I mention that my model was not only ready and willing to participate in my vision, she actually added to the vision tremendously! I had a dress in mind for this shoot, but it was unavailable the day of the shoot. so Jadyn sewed her own dress from a vintage Vogue pattern!

5) Work Your Magic - after the stage is set, you can work your photographic mojo. I was giddy as we made these portraits. I knew immediately that they were special.

armed with these easy and fun steps, i'm so ready for the next vision to come to life! there will definitely be more styled shoots in my future!

when you're photographing a toddler, in this case a new 3 year old, it's important to follow several steps to ensure adorable portraits.

step 1) make sure your subject is well rested. preferably a nap an hour or two prior to the shoot, that way you don't end up with this scene on your way to the location:

step 2) include your subject in the selection of what to wear, props, etc. in this case, I steered Avery toward a new dress Grandma gave her for her birthday. then I let her pick out coordinating balloons and candy!

step 3) be aware of your subjects mood and strike while the iron is hot. here, we came out of Cracker Barrel with a happy girl. i popped her up on this barrel and took some shots hoping the good mood lasted until we made it to downtown.

step 4) keep it fun! even if your subject isn't feelin' it. here, Avery wasn't so sure we were having fun. but i kept jumping around like a mad woman having a party all to herself.

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slowly, but surely, she decided i was funny and decided to give me smile!

step 5) have a backup plan. i was pretty sure the balloons wouldn't make it through our whole shoot. Avery refused to let me tie them to her wrist, and inevitably they escaped.

with a little more crazy dancing and singing, i was able to convince little A, that balloons were meant to be free.

that's when we introduced the lollipop!

step 6) document the age. i love holding fingers up, but have also used wood, or paper numbers. it's always nice to have the child proudly show how old they are!

step 7) know when to quit. by the time we rounded the corner to location 2, i knew Avery was done. i snapped off a few more smiley shots and then told her she was done. i think that's when the real smiles started. we went out to a nice mother/daughter dinner, and a memory was made.

step 8) don't forget all those cute little details!

following these steps is a surefire way to keep a toddler looking adorable during a portrait session!

it doesn't happen frequently, but sometimes a bride will ask me, "can you make me look skinny?" now, my personal style is all about natural beauty, capturing you just the way you are. but i totally get not wanting to get a huge wall portrait where the only thing YOU will be focused on is a perceived imperfection.

(YOU is in bold because we are all our worst critics. i usually have to have clients point out exactly their imperfections because i don't see them.)

recently, i got a first hand account of how it feels to not want to look at a photo of a memorable moment. 2 weeks ago i ran in the SoCal Ragnar Relay. i ran 3 legs totalling over 14 miles in 24 hours! this was a huge accomplishment for me! but when i looked at the photos, i was so distracted by those last few pounds i'm trying to lose after having my son.

here is a tutorial of how i made my finish line photo into a memory about my race, and not my 10 moths post partum body:

Before/After

here's the before:

step 1:

i use Lightroom 3 for almost all of my post processing. it's great to exposure, color, etc. but when LR can't do what i need, i turn to Photoshop Elements 8.

open your image in PSE, under the Filter tab, choose Distort, and Liquify.

Step 2:

PSE opens a new window. here you choose the brush you need to change your image. i zoomed in on the areas i wanted to fix, primarily the tummy. i chose a brush sized to 24, and pressure 50. these are number i've just played with over the years, i don't have a technical explanation for it. as you brush, you'll see why this filter is called "liquify", the image acts like a liquid and you can ripples under the brush.

with short strokes, brush in and down along the area you want to change. i brushed along my waist line on both sides. as with most editing, i believe less is more. so, after a few strokes i was done.

i also brushed along my left arm, sweeping over the outside of the arm and also on my arm pit. i basically made the crease of my arm pit a little straighter so it didn't look so bulging. (a personal pet peeve about my ares.)

and then i did a a teeny, tiny bit under my chin.

step 3:

after cinching in that waist, i smoothed out the wrinkles in my shirt, because i felt they were distracting. i chose the eye dropper tool and selected the green of my shirt. then i switched to the brush tool and with a soft gray brush, swept over the wrinkles in the shirt. this gave the shirt a smoother appearance.

i didn't get a screen shot, i think the opacity was about 50%. don't leave the brush at 100% opacity or the shirt won't look natural.

step 4:

next a ran one of my old trusted actions, Baby Powder Room from Coffee Shop. (since switching to LR over a year ago, i almost never use these actions anymore. but here i was in PSE so i went with it.)

first i used the Lighten Skin layer and with my brush at 35% i brushed under my eyes and on my "pregnancy mask."

i ran the action, chose the Vivid layer and reduced the opacity to 64%. i like the little color pop and vignette it gave the image.

After:

so here i am with my medal, at the finish line looking all proud of my accomplishment! not a huge change, but now when i look at this image i'm not totally obsessed with my flabby mid-section, i can just focus on my big post-race smile!

this is my fist tutorial, i hope it makes some sense! let me know what you think!